The Need for Guardrails The Goodness and the Severity of Godkenbirks.com/articles/gurardrails..pdf · The Goodness and the Severity of God by Pastor Kenneth L. Birks 2 of our eternal

The Need for Guardrails

The Goodness and the Severity of God

By Kenneth L. Birks

For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell,

severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness.

Otherwise, you will also be cut off. – Romans 11:21-22

As you travel south along the Pacific Coast on Highway 101, there are many

places where you are very thankful for guardrails. The guardrails are there

for your safety and protection because of the many places where the road is

very narrow and winding. If it weren’t for the guardrails, it would be rather

frightening. Even with the guardrails, it can be quite scary. On a trip there

last year, my wife informed me this is the last time she will ever come on this

road. Sometimes, it feels like you could end up down a cliff and into the ocean

if you were to make the slightest mistake. On the other side of the road, the

steep hills act as guardrails for your protection.

I live in Northern California, about two hours from South Lake Tahoe. When

traveling East towards Lake Tahoe on Highway 50, there’s a place where

you are about 7250 feet in elevation on a winding two lane road with a deep

canyon to your right. When looking out your window, from the passenger

side, it seems like an abyss below. On the driver’s side, you have the

mountain for your protection which acts as a natural guardrail. If it weren’t for

the guardrails, you would, most likely, be traveling slowly with much

precaution and trepidation. The guardrails are there for your protection and

precaution so that you feel safe and secure.

As we continue our journey with Christ, we need spiritual guardrails in place

for our security and protection. There will be innumerable occasions along

the way where we will need them to keep us on track with God and His

purpose for our lives. Without them, we could easily injure ourselves and end

up emotionally wounded with the potential of causing us to shipwreck in our

faith towards God. (1Timothy 1:19) Because we all have a propensity

towards foolishness and stubbornness at times, we desperately need these

guardrails in place.

There are two major guardrails in the Christian experience which are

designed to keep us on the straight and narrow path so we don’t lose sight

The Goodness and the Severity of God by Pastor Kenneth L. Birks

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of our eternal destiny and purpose. They are 1) the goodness and the 2)

severity of God as we saw in the opening Scripture.

For the most part, it is the goodness of God that continually keeps us safe

and secure in Him. It was the goodness of God that led us to repentance and

then keeps us in a continuous state of repentance. There are also times in

which we need a healthy dose of the severity or the fear of God to keep us

safe and secure.

The Goodness of God

We experience the goodness of God in many ways. It comes from being

redeemed from the hand of the enemy, delivered in times of trouble, being

led by the Spirit, satisfying our hungry souls, being comforted during times

of distress, deliverance from our destructive ways, blessings beyond

measure, successful seasons and much more. (Psalm 107) God’s desire is

to pour His goodness into us in ways beyond our imagination. He has given

to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

The goodness of God is one of the Father’s divine attributes that helps us to

understand His nature and who He is. In coming to the Lord and being drawn

to Him through His goodness, we soon discover He is inherently good. As a

result, we take refuge in Him, knowing that He will always be there to protect

us and act as a guardrail while keeping us from the harmful tactics of the

enemy.

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who

takes refuge in him.”

Over and over in the first chapter of Genesis, God describes His works. He

saw all that He had made, and it was excellent. (Genesis 1:31) In the same

way God’s goodness was displayed in all that He created, it appears to us

as His created beings. We are products of His goodness or the fruit of His

works. It doesn’t matter who we are or what station in life we’re in, we cannot

earn His goodness. It is simply freely made available to us in spite of

ourselves. God is good to all and has compassion on all that He has made.

That’s you and me! His tender mercies can’t be denied nor stopped.

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His

works.


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Because of God’s goodness, we can put our trust in Him in a way that

enables our hearts to respond with a resounding, “Yes, I’ll receive it!” As we

receive His goodness that endures forever, it becomes a stronghold or a

guardrail to us in times of trouble, hardship, and discouragement.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold (guardrail) in the day of trouble;

and He knows those who trust in Him. (I added guardrail)

As seen here, the goodness of God is a strong guardrail for us. It offers us

the security and encouragement we need during difficult and trying times. It’s

something that is continually there for us, in that God’s character never

changes. Through His goodness, He continually provides for us according to

His plans and purposes.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the

Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from

the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God’s goodness never changes with the shifting shadows of time. However,

good things are sometimes disguised as adversity or hardship. But don’t

worry! God even causes those things to work together for our good. He

cannot deny who He is. It’s impossible! In all circumstances, His goodness

works to keep us from going over the edge, and continually acts as a

guardrail to protect us.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things work together for good to those

who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

As stated earlier, it is the goodness of God that initially draws us unto Him

and begins to produce in us the repentance that continually brings us into a

deeper relationship with God, the Father. The goodness of God is at the core

of our faith as we grow and mature and move forward. As we keep our eyes

and heart open to God’s goodness, it becomes the stronghold of

righteousness and the guardrail God intended it to be.

Keeping our Hearts Open to God’s Goodness

One of the ways in which we keep our hearts open is by giving God praise

and thanksgiving for His goodness. David had a revelation of God’s

goodness and often praised and thanked Him for it.


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Psalm 107:1-2 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy

endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has

redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

Psalm 107:8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

David went on to repeat this phrase three more times in this chapter after

writing about the wonderful works of the Lord. (Psalm 107:15, 21, 31) He

then sums it up in verse 43 by saying, “Whoever is wise will observe these

things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”

The more we thank and praise God for His goodness, the greater the

revelation we receive of how it affects us with it becoming more of a

stronghold for protection.

Do you understand the goodness of the Lord towards you? If not, give

yourself to Him in thanksgiving. I would encourage you to read and meditate

on this chapter in Psalms over and over until it gets lodged deep in the

recesses of your heart “Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His

goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

Gratitude is what is required as we contemplate how great God’s love and

goodness are. We often lightly esteem His goodness or take it for granted

by withholding our thanksgiving because it’s such a common occurrence with

God. It is through our gratitude that we don’t take it for granted and even

come to despise it.

You may say you’d never come to the place of taking it for granted, but it

happens so easily through the hardness of our hearts. An indicator that His

goodness is despised is when it no longer leads us to repentance. If our

hearts have grown cold towards Him, it’s a good sign that we have grown

cold in our appreciation of His goodness towards us. A heart examination

may be in order.

Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and

longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to

repentance.

“Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His

wonderful works to the children of men!”


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As a young Bible College student, I had acquired a job working at a

warehouse. We had a large break room where we would all gather during

our breaks and at lunch time. One day while hanging out and eating lunch

with everyone, while some were shooting pool and playing ping pong, the

conversation began to shift to what everyone had done over the weekend.

They were telling stories about their wild escapades while laughing, cursing

and swearing. In the midst of this, I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude

and joy that came over me. I began to thank the Lord for bringing me out of

all that and thinking, “Who am I that God would pour out His mercy, grace

and goodness towards me?” I had such an overwhelming sense of the

deliverance God had brought me through that my heart began to swell with

gratitude and joy. Now, some 40 years later, I still remember it like it was

yesterday.

I often still find myself taking a few minutes here and there to think about all

that God has done for me over the years. His faithfulness and goodness

have always abounded towards me. I am so thankful that He sought me

out—a poor helpless sinner to pour into His goodness and grace.

My desire is to be like David who prayed, “Oh that men would give thanks to

the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of

men!” My prayer is that this is your heart cry as well. “Let the redeemed of

the Lord say so.”

The Severity of God

Now that we have discussed the goodness of God and how wonderful it is,

we must also take a look at the severity of God—the other guardrail that is

necessary for our protection. This guardrail is required for when we begin to

take for granted the goodness of God and lose sight of all that God has done

for us. When we lose sight of God’s goodness, it has the potential of

producing a recklessness in us that could cause us to crash hard. (Romans

11:22 ) Because God is a faithful and merciful God, He has put this guardrail

in place to keep us from going over the edge and crashing into the abyss

below. It is also called the fear of God.

Jesus spoke of it when He said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but

cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both the soul and

body in Hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Solomon spoke of it when he said, “The fear

of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One

is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)


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I understand how the fear of the Lord is an awesome respect and reverence

for God, but it also entails what Jesus spoke when He said, “Fear Him, who

can destroy the soul and body in Hell.” With this comes the necessity of a

healthy Biblical understanding of what Hell is and who’s going there.

The Reality of Hell

There is much to say in both the Old and New Testaments concerning Hell

and the Lake of Fire. The Bible teaches that life continues after the physical

death of the body. God created man with a natural, physical body and an

eternal soul. The soul of man consists of who we are. It is the center of our

mind, will, and emotions. The Bible teaches that life is eternal. Because the

soul is immortal, we will either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell.

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall wake,

some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.

God created Hell for the devil and his demons to inhabit. It is such an awful

place that Jesus said it would be better to cut off your hand or gouge out your

eye rather than to go there. There will be crying and total darkness in Hell—

a lake made of unquenchable fire and brimstone with intense pain and

agony.

Mark 9:43 And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to

enter into life maimed than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that

shall never be quenched.

Mark 9:45 And if your foot makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter

life lame, than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall

never be quenched.

It is true that people can partially experience hell on earth. Those who live in

rebellion against God and His ways do experience, to a small degree, some

of the things that those in Hell are suffering. This experience is, however,

only a slight foretaste of the miseries that the occupants of hell will

experience forever.

Hell will be a place of intense torment, pain, and weeping, described as a

furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew

13:42,50) The story of the “Rich Man and Lazarus” illustrates to us the

intensity of the pain that will exist in Hell. The rich man tormented in the flame

did not wish this place of torment upon anyone. (Luke 16:1928) He cried out


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saying, “Father, Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may

dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in

this flame.” (Luke 16:24)

I’ve heard people say at various times they would rather be partying in Hell

with their friends than walking in gardens with their enemies. What an absurd

statement! If they only realized how ridiculous it is. There will be no partying

going on in Hell, only extreme loneliness, blackness and darkness forever

as the Bible describes it. (Jude 13) Now is the day of salvation that will save

you from this terrible existence throughout eternity.

Hell will be an awful place, separated from the presence of God, the rejected

Lamb, the holy angels, and the redeemed. There will be no light, life, peace,

joy, righteousness, nor salvation. Only darkness and torment of conscience

will be there for those who rejected and despised God’s grace.

The important thing to keep in mind is that Jesus did not come to condemn

the world. He came to save the world from this awful place of torment. (The

Foundations of Christian Doctrine - Kevin Conner)

John 3:17-19 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the

world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in

Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already

because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men

loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

2Peter 3:9-11 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count

slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish

but that all should come to repentance.

A Lot of People Will End up in Hell

They will come from every background, race, society, religion, and culture.

Among their numbers will include those who the Bible describes as:

Those who do not know God - 2Thessalonians 1:8

Those who don’t obey the Gospel -2Thessalonians 1:8

Sinners and hypocrites - Isaiah 33:14

Those who practice lawlessness – Matthew 13:41

Cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murders, sorcerers, sexually

immoral, idolaters, and all liars - Revelation 21:8


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Adulterers, thieves, homosexuals, covetous people, drunkards, and

extortioners - 1Corinthians 6:9-10

The Bible says the road to Hell is wide, and the road to heaven is narrow.

Which road are you traveling? “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for

whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

Are We Secure in our Salvation?

You may be thinking, “I’m secure in my salvation. I can never lose it.” If that’s

what you believe, this next section may be somewhat challenging for you. I

would encourage you to read it and ponder it. Allow the Scriptures to speak

for themselves without trying to interpret them through any school of thought.

Our loyalty needs to be to God’s Word, not to schools of thought.

Personally, I do not believe a person goes through a continuous cycle of

being saved and lost over and over again. Therefore, I do not think because

a person is in a backslidden condition they have necessarily lost their

salvation, but I do believe there is a point where you can become so deceived

in your backsliding that you eventually disown Christ by no longer believing.

At this point, you fulfill the Scriptures that speak of disowning Christ. Notice

in the following passages, Christ cannot disown you, unless you, first of all,

disown Him. Keep in mind, you cannot be disowned by Christ unless you are

first owned by Him.

Matthew 10:33 (NIV) But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown

before my Father in heaven.

2Timothy 2:12 (NIV) If we endure, we will also reign with him, if we disown

him, he will also disown us.

You may think you could never get to the place where you could disown

Christ. The problem with that kind of thinking is, once you begin the slippery

slope of backsliding, you open yourself up to Satan’s devices and deception

to a greater degree. You have no idea where deception could lead you.

Jesus speaks of a strong delusion that is coming upon the world before His

second coming. He says, “If it were possible even the elect would be

deceived.” Paul speaks of a great falling away before the coming of Christ—

a time when many will disown Christ. A great deception is coming. To keep

from being deceived, we will need both guardrails in place. Those whose

hearts are cold towards the Lord through their backsliding wouldn’t have a


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chance. The enemy is already walking around looking for those whom he

can devour. A backslider is easy pickings for him.

I tell my Bible students that I’m afraid to backslide because I just don’t know

what would happen once deep deception begins to settle in. That’s the fear

of God—my guardrail for protection! I understand the severity of God as

much as I understand the goodness of God. I understand that it’s a fearful

thing to fall into the hands of a living God. Do you?

Now that I’ve disarmed you somewhat, let’s continue to see what the Bible

has to say concerning our eternal salvation and security. Without this

guardrail in place, we are all in extreme danger.

There will be a Great Falling Away

Paul speaks of a great falling away. (2Thessalonians 2:3) Those who fall

away are those who have defected from the truth of the Christian faith. To

fall away implies a strong rebellion or revolt that happens before the Second

Coming of Christ. The point is, there will be people who will fall into this

category. They are the ones who disown Christ.

Is it Possible to Fall Away Never to be Saved Again?

There is a point where the once saved believers are completely reprobate in

their minds and actions. The writer of the Book of Hebrews addresses this

very issue in the following passage. However, the stipulations shown below

reveal that it is only a mature believer that is capable of committing this sin.

Hebrews 6:4-9 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and

have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again

for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame.

This passage shows, very clearly, there is a point where a Christian has

backslidden so far that they can’t come back. The Greek word for “fall away”

is “parapipto,” which means to fall aside or to apostatize. (Strong’s Greek

Dictionary Concordance #3895)

These Christian believers were once:

Enlightened - John 1:6-12

Tasted of the Heavenly Gift - John 3:16 & Romans 6:23


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Made Partakers of the Holy Spirit - Acts 19:2

Tasted of the Good Word of God - Hebrews 5:12-14

Tasted of the Powers of the World to Come - Acts 1:8

This person has given up their birthright in the same way that Esau did.

Giving up one’s birthright is when backsliding leads to the extreme position

of disowning Christ as Paul warned Timothy. (2Timothy 2:12) John refers to

disowning Christ as the sin that leads unto death. (1 John 5:16) The writer of

the Book of Hebrews refers to it as “willful sin” in a later chapter about the

person who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and insulted the Holy

Spirit. Jesus referred to it when He spoke of the individual who blasphemes

the Holy Spirit and commits the unpardonable sin.

Mark 3:29 (NIV) But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never

be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.

The words "fall away" describe the person’s willful and independent position.

It means to walk alongside or out of the will of God with no intent of returning

to God's way—total apostasy. There is an open renunciation of Jesus Christ

and a gathering together of the enemies of Christ.

There Is a Point Where God Cuts Off Those Who Disown Him

If God did not spare natural Israel when they committed apostasy, what

makes us think that He will save us if we fall away? We must continue in the

goodness and severity of God. Otherwise, we, too, will be cut off.

Romans 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not

spare you either.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews gives us a strong warning about drawing

back unto perdition by letting us know that it is a fearful thing to fall into the

hands of the living God. He takes no pleasure in those who draw back. We

see this again in chapter ten.

Hebrews 10:31,38-39 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living

God. 38Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has

no pleasure in him." 39But we are not of those who draw back to perdition,

but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

When the above passage speaks of those who “draw back unto perdition" or

waste and destruction, it is a possibility, or it would not have been written to


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warn us. The word perdition indicates loss of well-being, not of being. The

destruction then is everlasting without annihilation.

Hebrews 10:26-27 If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of

the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice of sins, but a certain fearful

expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the

adversaries.

Some would like to say this is referring to a person who continually rejects

Jesus after they are convicted many times. It’s just not so, as we see in the

following Scriptures.

Hebrews 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will be

thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the

blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and

insulted the Spirit of grace? 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the

living God.

This person:

Was sanctified by the blood of Jesus: To be sanctified means to

be set apart from the world unto God.

Has trodden underfoot the Son of God: To trample underfoot the

person of Jesus and all that He is and has done is to count Him as

refuse. Trodding underfoot the Son of God is an act of utter contempt

for Christ.

Has counted the blood of Jesus as unholy: To value the precious,

sinless blood of Jesus as that of a pig or unclean thing.

Has done despite unto the Spirit of Grace: He insults the Holy

Spirit, who he had received by God's grace by insulting all the work of

the Spirit he had been a partaker of, such as salvation, baptism,

healing, gifts, fruit, etc.

As we have seen, to "fall away" consists of total renunciation or disowning of

Christ and Christianity. However, we must keep in mind; backsliding is where

the process begins. Once a person begins to backslide, they open

themselves up to greater deception from Satan. Our enemy is a devouring

lion, who goes after those who are weak in the faith. Don’t be fooled! He will

come after you with everything he has. As you begin the downward spiral of

backsliding, His goal will be to get you to commit apostasy. That’s why I’m


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afraid to backslide. I am well aware that I have fallen into the hands of a living

God.

I don't believe anyone knows where this cut-off point is. We are not the judge

nor could we because we don't have all the facts in each case. Even if we

did, we would not have the wisdom to analyze them. God is the righteous

judge, and there is a point where God says, "No more—that's it!"

Judgement Awaits Those Who Have Blasphemed the Holy Spirit

The entire second chapter of Peter’s second epistle describes believers who

go back and become apostate.

2Peter 2:20-21 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world

through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again

entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the

beginning. 21For it would have been better for them not to have known the

way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy

commandment delivered to them.

These People Were Saved:

The Lord had bought them—Verse 1.

They had forsaken (to leave down or behind, to abandon, to forsake)

the way—Verse 15.

They had escaped the pollutions (uncleanness) of the world.

They are again entangled and overcome in the world.

They had known the way of righteousness and turned from it.

We must give serious consideration to this passage. It says, “It would have

been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness.” How could

it possibly be better not to have known the way of righteousness? Could it

be because they have committed the unpardonable sin and eternal judgment

is what awaits them? There’s no opportunity for them to turn back to the Lord.

They’re done!

Hebrews 10:26-27 If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of

the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice of sins, but a certain fearful

expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the

adversaries.


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2Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, since you know these things

beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led

away with the error of the wicked.

As seen from the testimony of Scripture, there is an agreement that it is

possible to lose your salvation. I have been purposely laborious so that you

can see for yourself how the Scriptures on this subject are in agreement with

one another. As you take this to heart, you will have built a stronghold of

righteousness as a strong guardrail to keep you safe and secure.

Be assured, as you stay close to the guardrail of God’s goodness with a heart

of thanksgiving you will be safe and secure. If not, the guardrail of the

severity of God is there to stop you from your foolishness and from falling

into the abyss. As you take the time to build both of these guardrails by

getting these Scriptures and principles embedded in your heart, you will be

safe and secure throughout your journey in the Lord. As you are careful to

build your guardrails, you will experience eternal security!

Psalm 107:43 “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will

understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”

*****

This article was taken from a chapter in my new book

“The Journey – Discovering the Invisible Path”

To Purchase the book or learn more about it, please go to the following

website: http://booksbyken.com

http://booksbyken.com/


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